• Senator Mandviwalla cites exclusion in car tender process.
• Legislator asks AGPR to stop payments, cancel orders.
• Letter calls for immediate suspension over fears of mismanagement.

ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue Chairman Senator Saleem Mandviwalla has urged Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to immediately suspend the procurement of 1,010 vehicles for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

In a letter dated January 22, Senator Mandviwalla highlighted concerns about the procurement process, stressing that the timing and scale of such acquisition raised “significant doubts about the transparency and integrity of the process” that require further review.

The letter comes a day after the Senate body directed the board to stop the procurement as it criticized the FBR’s move to buy 1,010 vehicles for operational purposes at an estimated cost of Rs6 billion.

The tax authority issued a Letter of Intent on January 13 for the Rs6 billion purchase. The first phase will see 500 vehicles delivered, with an advance payment of Rs3 billion already made.

The delivery schedule for the vehicles is planned in phases, starting with 75 units in January, followed by 200 in February and 225 in March. The second phase will include 250 vehicles in April and the final 260 in May.

The vehicles will carry the FBR logo for official identification and each unit will be equipped with a tracker system, with service charges covered for the first year.

Mandviwalla mentioned in the letter that during a recent meeting, committee members pointed out the deliberate exclusion of competitors in the bidding process, raising suspicions of mismanagement and mala fide intentions.

The procurement, which is considered to be significant in scope and cost, has been criticized for compromising the principles of transparency and fairness – fundamental principles of public procurement policies.

The letter requested that the purchase order issued to the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) should be canceled and the payment should be stopped.

In addition, the letter calls on the Ministry of Finance to instruct the FBR to suspend the process, noting that circumventing financial integrity under the current economic conditions will be a serious breach of duty.

A copy of the letter has been sent to FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for further consideration.